Freesound Forums

Hello everyone,

On April 5th will be the 8th anniversary of Freesound, and thanks to your contributions more than 160,000 sounds have been shared with the community so far!

Now, the Freesound team would like to look back in the Freesound history and find some of the most original or unusual sounds that have been uploaded during all these years. That’s why we need your help:

In your opinion, which are the most amazing / surprising / coolest sounds you have ever found on Freesound?

the Freesound team

This printer sound has always been one of my favorites. It never fails to cheer me up.
http://www.freesound.org/people/melack/sounds/13809/

http://freesound.org/people/base_trix/ ' cute dino bird sounds were the most surprising and cheerful to me so far.

EDIT: Also the beautiful coyote-train duet brings tears to my eyes when the mood is right.

......there's so many!
I think it's the contact microphones in this recording that make it special
http://www.freesound.org/people/Anton/sounds/160036/

I'm still blown away by Klankbeelds recording of a woman from Ghana, singing http://www.freesound.org/people/klankbeeld/sounds/180448/

In fact i love to listen to "cultural" recordings. Languages and music is something special, and although i don't travel that much, i try to record that kind of stuff if i can get close to it. But so far this is the biggest gem i've come across, on freesound.

First sound ever added: http://www.freesound.org/people/xserra/sounds/6/

The complete rewrite of freesound from plain PHP to Python/Django was codenamed "nightingale" and that was based on this sound:
http://www.freesound.org/people/reinsamba/sounds/17185/

Our "under construction" sound when we do a server update:
http://www.freesound.org/people/Pooleside/sounds/21310/

This one is used almost every time we give a freesound presentation:
http://www.freesound.org/people/Corsica_S/sounds/44445/

A militant freesound sound:
http://freesound.org/people/freesound/sounds/50188/

Actually, there's a nice collection of cool sounds in the freesound presentation. The scream that was used in Children of Men, the sounds created for Bianca to teach her school about how autistic children experience their world, the sound used by The Prodidgy, the printer sound and how it was remixed by Mistabishi in his song Printer Jam, all the sounds from La Audiencia Disponible and their remixes, ...

Ants!

http://www.freesound.org/people/Manuel%20Calurano/sounds/143291/
http://www.freesound.org/people/yks/sounds/60057/

This sound from Felix Blume: http://www.freesound.org/people/felix.blume/sounds/110921/

No wonder. I like, no I love, ambient recording .

My coolest sound is this sound of a guillotine:

http://freesound.org/people/Glaneur%20de%20sons/sounds/30187/

It became very interesting for me after I read in the description about how the artist had created the sound. It's rad!

On the subject of amazing sounds, the first one to come to mind was davincama's recording of Mt. St. Helens he captured on May 18, 1980.

http://www.freesound.org/people/daveincamas/sounds/21432/

I also like digifishmusic's filtered and amplified version of the sound here:
http://www.freesound.org/people/digifishmusic/sounds/38224/

In my opinion this is one of the most amazing, if not the most amazing sound on here. A once in a lifetime recording.

Nothing beats http://www.freesound.org/people/RHumphries/sounds/2523/

I think I would have to split them into categories... As there are so many:

Noise and distortion. Strange sounds, etc
http://www.freesound.org/people/kollege/sounds/83751/
http://www.freesound.org/people/Dynamicell/sounds/17835/
http://www.freesound.org/people/James%20Geetar/sounds/116183/
Can't remember for sure, but I think this was the sound that got me into trying coils and magnetic pick-ups.
http://www.freesound.org/people/alienistcog/sounds/122750/
[EDIT]Great sounds continue to be added all the time. Here is another one that came up after I made this post, but needed to go here too:
http://www.freesound.org/people/LloydEvans09/sounds/185847/

Radio, interference, etc
There are MANY good samples. I particularly like this one:
http://www.freesound.org/people/cognito%20perceptu/sounds/17470/
This is also very good
http://www.freesound.org/people/thatjeffcarter/sounds/123374/

Field recordings
There are many seagul sounds at Freesound. I find this to be perhaps one of the cleanest
http://www.freesound.org/people/juskiddink/sounds/100724/
And another very good sample of seagulls
http://www.freesound.org/people/dobroide/sounds/59492/
Sea and waves
http://www.freesound.org/people/Luftrum/sounds/48412/
Children playing - love the echoey sound of their voices in this recording.
http://www.freesound.org/people/miastodzwiekow/sounds/97317/
Another echoey recording
http://www.freesound.org/people/miastodzwiekow/sounds/123039/

Weather, rain, wind, storms, etc
Love the rhythms in these recordings!
http://www.freesound.org/people/mugwood/sounds/121362/
http://www.freesound.org/people/mugwood/sounds/121361/
http://www.freesound.org/people/mugwood/sounds/121359/
http://www.freesound.org/people/mugwood/sounds/121358/
I don't claim this to be the best thunderstorm sound at Freesound (there are too many and I have not listened to them all). But it is one I really like
http://www.freesound.org/people/Andy_Gardner/sounds/127836/
Awesome recording of a wind sound
http://www.freesound.org/people/cbthomson/sounds/129386/

Metallic sounds
http://www.freesound.org/people/kontest1/sounds/118891/

Spaces
http://www.freesound.org/people/mugwood/sounds/121368/
http://www.freesound.org/people/mugwood/sounds/121367/
Just awesome!
http://www.freesound.org/people/le_abbaye_Noirlac/sounds/129425/

Aliens, ghosts, zombies and other freaky stuff
This one is awesome!
http://www.freesound.org/people/Benboncan/sounds/82390/
The raw material for warewolf sounds and many more monsters and creatures:
http://www.freesound.org/people/be-steele/sounds/128137/

Drones
One of the best samples in Freesound ever! Actually inspired me to create a music piece.
http://www.freesound.org/people/thatjeffcarter/sounds/127710/
A strange one
http://www.freesound.org/people/be-steele/sounds/129061/

Machines - Trains, cars, etc
http://www.freesound.org/people/nnus/sounds/126538/
A sound like no other!...
http://www.freesound.org/people/nicStage/sounds/127737/

Squeaks, etc
http://www.freesound.org/people/MaxDemianAGL/sounds/130045/

(I will update this post with more sounds in the next few days)

Animal and ambient sounds are great. I Love the ants and Felix Blume's soundscape.
Because it's out of my world and (sur)realistic I go for:

http://www.freesound.org/people/acclivity/sounds/16930/

Also because acclivity is such an active contributor. Thumbs up.

Must admit, out of the sound's I've uploaded I love this one:

http://freesound.org/people/swiftoid/sounds/117295/

Just for that intense gurgle at the end.

Ooh almost forgot this one from the International Space Station: http://www.freesound.org/people/ColChrisHadfield/sounds/172547/

Just like AlienXXX commented on this sound: "nothing like you've ever heard before."
http://www.freesound.org/people/schluppipuppie/sounds/141084/

This is my favorite sound on freesound:

http://www.freesound.org/people/dobroide/sounds/8096/

Hi all! I'm Headphones Vocal, a producer from London, check out my loops on Freesound

http://www.freesound.org/people/headphonesvocal/

Well done AlienXXX.

Like the thought of you categorizing them. (Y)

Undoubtedly THIS ONE:
http://www.freesound.org/people/ERH/sounds/29589/